Cleaning implement



Sept. 10, 1929. I. H. SPENCE R CLEANING IMPLEMENT Filed Aug. 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 10, 1929. SPENCER 1,727,524

- CLEANING IMPLEMENT Filed Aug. 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .5.

In!!! w Patented Sept. 10, 192 9.

UNITED- STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

H. SPENCER, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SPENCER TURBINE COlllllIPlAlTY, 101 WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORATION OF CLEANING IMPLEMENT.

Application filed August 22, 1925. Serial No. 51,868.

My invention relates more especially to the -class of pneumatic cleaning implements Cil that are attached to the end of a handle and connected by a hose with a suitable vacuum producing apparatus, and an object of my invention, among others, is the production of an extremely light and eflicient tool embodying a brush as a means for removing dust and dirt in" connection with a current of air flowinginwardly through the tool; and a further object of my invention is to provide a tool-oft class in which the 1 means for operatingth'e brush shall "be extremely simple therebyenabling it to be incorporated in atool of minimum size.

One form of c lean'ingtool" embodying my invention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a view in front elevation of a cleaning tool embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a top view of the same. 7

Figure 3 is a View, scale enlarged, in

vertical central section of one end of the.

In the accompanying drawings the nu-' meral 10 indicates the nozzle or case'embodied 1n my lmproved cleaning tool or 1mplement, which case is of a size to enable it to be readily attached to a handle commonly employed in pneumatic cleaning operations, this case preferably being of circular shape in cross section, closed at its ends, and having a mouth 11 at the bottom thereof. Hubs 12 are formed on the ends for the reception of rollers or wheels 13.

In the use of the tool it is desirable that' the mouth 11, as well as a brush, to be hereinafter described, located therein, may be adjusted relatively to the surface being cleaned, and for this purpose I place an eccentric bearing 14 for the wheel 13 upon the hub 12, this eccentric bearing having a disc 15 by means of which it may berotated and a nut 16 being employed to secure it inplace when it hasbeen adjusted to suit any special. requirements.

A tubular neck or extension 17 projects from the back of the casing, this extension hem g of a shape to be readily received within the end of a tubular cleaning tool handle hereinbefore referred to, which handle will be readily understood by those skilled in the art and a showing therefore being omitted herein.

A supporting web 18 projects inwardly from the back of the case at about its lengthwise center and a gear housing 19 is formed preferably integral with said web, said housmg having a cover 20 as a means of closing one. end thereof. A worm gear 21 is rotatably mounted within the housing as by means of hollow hubs 22 located in bearing openings in the housing 19 and the cover therefor, and as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The gear 21 meshes with a worm 23 secured to a worm shaft 2 1 mounted in a bearing. tube 25 projecting from the housin}: 19 and preferably integrally formed with the web 18. The shaft 24c'is suitably mounted in bearings 26 in the tube 25, and as shown in Figure 7- of the drawings. A Wm wheel or propeller 27 i is secured to the shaft 24 at the end Ofthfl tube '25 and in an air passage 28 inthe tubular extension 17 1 through which passage the air used for cleaning purposes passes from the mouth 11 to the handle and the hose and to the ap- 9O paratus employed for producing a vacuum to create such flow of air. It will thus be seen that the propeller is driven by the air that is employed for regular cleaning purposes. I A hole extends through the hubs 22, this hole being preferably of angular shape in cross section to receive the angularly shaped 'ends 29 of brush shafts 30, the opposite ends of each shaft being mounted in a bushing passage,

31 in a hole in one of the hubs 12. There are two of these shaft-s 3O projecting in op-' posite directions from the housing 19 and each of the shat'lt's bears a brush including a core 32 of wood or other suitable material to which bristles or other brush material 33 is secured in any suitable manner. A spring 3-1 may be employed within the hole. in the hubs. said spring being located between the ends of the shafts 30 and operating to thrust thcm apart. This construction permits the brushes to be moved endwise within the hubs for removal of said brushes when desired. In the structure shown in Figure 5 this spring is omitted, the construction being otherwise the same as herein'above set forth.

A pocket 35 is formed preferably as a part ot' the case 10. this pocket being located on top of the case and having a communicating opening 36 with a chamber 37 1n the ease and in which the cleaning brush is located.

be opening 36 .is'pre't'erably arranged tangentially to the rotating brush, so that heavier particles of mattermay be thrown oil by the centrifugal action of the brush through the opening 236 and into the pocket- 35, being guided by the curved wall 38 within the pocket. A guard 39 projects upwardly within the pocket to retain accun1u-- lated matter therein and prevent it from falling out through the opening 36.

In accordance with the' provisions of the patent statutes I have described the principles of operation of my 1nvention, together with the device which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the device shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set out.

I claim 1. A cleaning implement comprising a case having an inlet mouth and an outlet a brush rotatable within the case, means, within the case for rotating said brush, hubs projecting from the ends of the ease, means within the hubs for supporting the. brush, eccentric bearing sleeves encircling said hubs and rotatably adjustable thereon, independently. of said brush, and supporting wheels rota'tably mounted on said eccentric bearing sleeves.

2. A cleaning implement comprising a case having an inlet mouth and an outlet passage, a brush rotatably mounted within the case, means within the case for rotating said brush, a hub projecting from the end of the case, an eccentric rotatably mounted on said hub, an adjusting disc projecting from the eccentric and spaced from the side of the case, a supporting wheel .for said case, said wheel being mounted on said eccentric, between said case and said disc and means for locking the eccentric in different positions of adjustment.

3. A cleaning implement comprising a case having an inlet mouth and an outlet passage, a hub projecting from the end of the case, a bushing located within said hub, a brush comprising a shaft with its end rotatably mounted in said bushing, means within the case for rotating said brush, an

eccentric mounted on said hub, a su1')porting -journaled in the case and their adjacent inner ends spaced from each other and slidably mounted within said openings of said driving member for rotation thereby, but for longitudinal movement toward each other independently of said driving member, whereby the opposite outer ends of said brushes may be removed from their bearings to permit removal of the brushes from the case.

5. A cleaning implement comprising a case having an inlet mouth and a tubular neck for connection with a tube for the passage of air, a brush rotatably mounted in the ease, means for rotating said brush, a pocket located on top of said case, and a guard projecting into said pocket. said pocket having a directing Wall curved to direct material thrown oft from said brush into said pocket behind said guard, said case having an opening above said neck and said brush to permit passage of said'material thrown oil from the brush into said pocket.

6. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination with a suction tube having a transverse nozzle, of a transverse cylindrical brush mounted in said nozzle, means actuated by the passage of air through said tube for imparting rotation to said cylindrical brush, a pocket formed on top of the nozzle and having a communicating opening with the chamber of the nozzle above the suction tube, and a guard projecting upwardly within the pocket to retain matter thrown upwardly into the pocket by the brush.

7. In a vacuum cleaner, a transverse nozzle having a central rearwardly projecting tubular neck vadapted for connection by means of a tubular handle with a suction apparatus, said nozzle having a bottom mouth, a transverse cylindrical brush mounted in the nozzle to project through its mouth, a longitudinally arranged shaft having its forward end geared to the brush ceive heavy particles of material thrown from the brush by centrifugal force.

9, A cleaning implement comprising a case having an inlet mouth with an elongated opening and a laterally extending outlet passage from substantially the lengthwise center of the case, a thin web extending transversely within the case and formed integral with one wall substantially in the lengthwise center thereof, a housing supported by the edge of said web and a bearing supported on the edge of said web and projecting rearwardly through the inlet passage, a driving shaft projecting through said bearing into said housing, a propeller secured to the end of the shaft in said outlet passage, brushes mounted within said case on opposite sides of said housing, and having shafts with adjacent ends projecting into said housing, and a driving connection between said driving shaft and the shafts of said brushes.

' IRA H. SPENCER. 

